Beauty and the Chips
by BarbMacK
Summary: One Shot about what happened between the School Reunion and Girl in the Fireplace. Was there more to the Doctor's dashing off without Rose than met the eye? Rose/Ten if you squint ;


**And just as an added bonus post since the next Marsian Cold isn't ready yet. Always got to me a just a wee bit how the Doc and Rose seemed so close in School Reunion but then he could go off with Reinette very next episode...so this is kinda my way of explaining (at least to myself) why he mighta done it...maybe...**

Rose sat on the jump seat in the control room, a plate of chips in her hand, though she hadn't touched one yet. Well, she'd picked up a few, but had dropped each back onto the plate a moment later. Presently she was staring off into space.

The Doctor had been supervising which stuff Mickey was allowed to bring on board from his flat, which consisted of a lot of 'No,'s , a good deal of 'You're kidding right?'s, the odd 'Do we have to?' and one 'We're travelling through all of time and space...and you want to bring **that**?' Since Rose had been in her current position during all this, she assumed the few things Mickey was allowed to bring were agreed to by reluctant nods, which the pair were now in the process of finding a room for Mickey to dump them all in.

And still Rose sat there, watching the swirling Gallifreyan symbols as they morphed on the monitor. If anyone asked, she'd say she couldn't read a word of it, but truth be told she was beginning to recognise one or two of the more frequent ones. Technically she still didn't know what they meant but, for instance there was the set that always showed just as they landed. Now it could mean 'We're here' or 'We've landed' or 'Oh look, another adventure is about to begin', but what Rose knew it _didn't_ mean was 'Hold on, we're in for a bumpy landing'...because that had a different group of symbols, and each time _those_ ones appeared her and the Doctor would undoubtedly end up on their backs on the console floor a few moments later.

She frowned as her gaze focused on the monitor once more.

"_I could teach you if you really wanted," it read._

"Umm...teach me what?" Rose asked, having glanced around the room to make sure this wasn't a trick by one of the boys.

"_To read Gallifreyan," the monitor 'replied'. "It might be easier if I communicate directly, do you mind?"_

"Umm...no?" Rose replied hesitantly.

The Tardis started humming softly as the monitor showed Gallifreyan once more, but in her mind Rose heard, _"Thank you."_

Rose smiled. "You're welcome. So if you could just speak in my mind, why the monitor message?"

"_I thought doing so might frighten you. You seemed quite deep in your thoughts" she replied, and Rose could swear there was almost a chuckle behind her words._

She smiled back. "Oh yeah. Really deep and meaningful thoughts," she replied, pulling her tongue at the console.

_There was a pause before the Tardis asked, "Are my chips not to your liking?"_

"Oh yeah, they're great!" Rose answered a bit too quickly and enthusiastically.

_The Tardis pretended she hadn't though. "Good, because I would hate to think Krillitane's make better chips than I do."_

Rose's false smile froze at the thought. "Mmm don't remind me. I don't think I want to know where the oil came from." She thought about the Krillitanes and their ability to change the way they looked. She didn't know why but Mickey's comment the night before was coming back to haunt her, and she couldn't help but wonder what she might do if she were Krillitane, since right now she was thoroughly put off her chips. She looked at the Tardis control and grinned, she loved this big blue box.

Her smile faded to a frown as she thought about that though. The Doctor had said the Tardis looked the way she did because of the Chameleon circuit, which was currently broken. "Tardis what do you really look like?" she asked suddenly.

_Rose was certain she heard soft laughter before the Tardis replied, "What do you mean?"_

Rose looked at her feet, blushing slightly at the oddity of the question. "Well, you know...you only look like a blue box because of that broken circuit. But if you didn't have the circuit at all, what would you look like?" Thinking on it a moment more, she grinned. "Or are you like that monster in Harry Potter? You know, the one that no one knows how it looks because as soon as anyone sees it, it's already the image of what they fear most?"

"_I'm not a Boggart," the Tardis replied, in a voice that sounded very much like the Doctor's when she'd called him a Slitheen._

"Sorry, I just meant---"

"_I can show you if you like?" the Tardis asked, sounding almost shy bordering on nervous._

Rose beamed. "Oh that'd be brilliant!" she said, hopping up so she was closer to the monitor. After a moment, her eyes widened as her hand covered her mouth. "Oh Tardis...you're...beautiful!" she gushed once she recovered her voice. "How can you stand to be a blue box when you could be that?" she asked in wonderment.

_The Tardis sang her gratitude at the compliment, before replying coyly, "It is easier to blend in as a blue box."_

Rose couldn't help but laugh in response. "Fair enough," she replied, sitting back down as the image changed back to the usual Gallifreyan.

"_You are beautiful too Miss Tyler," the Tardis told her firmly, causing Rose to look up surprised._

Regaining herself, Rose shrugged it off. "You don't have to say that."

"_You're right, I need not say anything at all, so do not think it idle when I do," the Tardis replied sternly, suddenly making Rose feel like a child being told off by a teacher._

"Yes Miss," she said without thinking, then giggled when she realised what she'd said. "Sorry, force of habit."

"_Mmm as is believing everything those two men tell you...and occasionally what they don't," the Tardis said, not unkindly._

Rose shrugged, before frowning. "How do you know what they have and haven't been saying?"

_The Tardis gave what could only be a sigh. "I transport you throughout time and space, translate all languages for you before they even reach your ears, can communicate telepathically, and yet my knowledge of what happens to my occupants surprises you?"_

Rose looked at her shoes again. "Yeah well, those first three came as surprises too when I first found out about 'em," she mumbled.

"What came as surprises?" the Doctor asked, walking into the console room.

Rose looked up at him, eyes wide. "Uh...just..."

"_Girl stuff," the Tardis supplied._

"Yeah, what she said," Rose said smiling at the console.

The Doctor raised a brow as he eyed them both warily. He'd already learnt if either had something they really didn't want to share he wouldn't find out, and he doubted two on one would be any easier. Eyeing the plate of chips on the seat beside Rose, he frowned, "You haven't touched your chips."

"Oh, I've touched loads of 'em" Rose said, glancing down at the chips to avoid his gaze.

He sighed. "Alright, you haven't _eaten_ any of your chips," he clarified as he made his way to stand in front of her.

She slowly looked up, still not quite meeting his gaze as she looked to a point just to the right of his chin. "Not hungry," she shrugged non-committedly.

"You're always hungry for chips," he replied pulling a face before crouching and moving slightly to his left to catch her eyes. "Has this got anything to do with what Mickey said last night."

"Don't know what you're talking about," she replied, looking away once again.

He stepped closer, forcing her to meet his gaze once more before replying, "Something to do with laying off the chips ring any bells?" he asked, brows raised as he smiled slightly amused at her.

"It...might," she replied, trying not to smile back, but she always found his smile infectious.

He beamed back at her. "Now that's the Rose I like to see," he grinned as he stole a chip off her plate. "Mmm, now _that's_ how a chips supposed to taste!" he declared, getting a thankful hum from the Tardis. He looked back down at Rose to find her looking off into the distance once more. "Oh what is it now?"

"Hmm, oh nothing, nothing. I'm just gonna go..." she trailed off having nothing to finish the sentence with. She couldn't exactly say she was going to go wash her hair, that was how she got out of helping sort Mickey's stuff. She had time to clean and crimp it, grab a plate of chips from the kitchen and still have time to catch the second half of the 'what to take' debate.

"Rose what's wrong?" he asked, more sincerely this time.

She shrugged, shaking her head. "Guess I'm just feeling bit...unpretty after being a dinner lady and all," she replied, moving to imply she was trying to get past him since he was still standing right in front of her.

"Oh my word, you **are** worried about what he said!" he said almost in awe that she could be. "Rose, he's an idiot, you'd think you'd have noticed by now, if not only because I keep calling him one," he told her, trying to goad her into smiling, but it didn't seem to be working anymore. "You're beautiful Rose," he told her, deciding maybe humour wasn't the best approach after all.

"Considering," she replied, squeezing past him since he wouldn't move.

"Considering what?" he asked frowning.

She gave a short forced laugh. "Considering I'm human," she answered over her shoulder.

The Doctor glared at her back. "Ooh you've just been waiting to bring that one back haven't you?" he asked as he followed her.

"You're the one that said it, not me," she replied.

He spun her round to face him, his hand going to her cheek. A moment later he was wondering why her cheek, why not her shoulder, her arm, heck even taking her hand, all those places were 'safe', they all fitted the 'friend' zone. But now his hand was on her cheek and he was gazing into her eyes and he just couldn't let go of either. He swallowed deeply as she raised her brows at him. "Rose, you're the most beautiful creature I have ever had the privilege of meeting. And I don't just mean physically...not saying you're not physically beautiful, 'cause your gorgeous, but as a person you're completely beautiful as well and I don't know what I'd do without you because---"

"So where're we headed?" Mickey asked, bounding in, watching the steps he was racing up. By the time he looked up at the pair they were already a few feet apart, the Doctor back at the controls and Rose reluctantly retreating to the jump seat. He wasn't sure why but he got the distinct impression she wanted to kill him more now than she had when he'd invited himself aboard.

If Rose had known he had the impression, she would probably have just confirmed it for him. Of all the possible times to come barging in. Why couldn't he have just stayed at home, he'd never been keen to come before. She suddenly hoped he was attacked by an alien on this trip, or maybe when the Doctor disappeared somewhere she'd just help him wander off. Glaring over at her friend, she couldn't help but smile. Nah, Mickey got into enough trouble on his own without her helping him!

The Doctor's reaction was the complete opposite though, he could almost kiss Mickey he was so grateful! But instead he'd make do with just aiming for a spaceship, knowing that's probably exactly what he'd expect from space travel...that and making comments about real galaxies looking 'realistic' compared to their computer generated counterparts.

He just couldn't believe that Mickey had such incredibly awful timing that it was perfect! Imagine the irreversible damage his admitting how he felt could have done to his and Rose's relationship! He couldn't risk losing her, and everyone knows coming on too strong is one of the most certain ways to scare them off! What he needed was just a little away time, give her a chance to hang out with Mickey, give himself a chance to regain control over his extremely uncharacteristically rampant hormones. If he wasn't careful he might just end up snogging the next alien he encountered! As long as it wasn't Jack, 'cause that man could make sure he _never_ lived it down!


End file.
